[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 123, 111th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

123 STAT. 3728
 
PROCLAMATION 8445--OCT. 30, 2009

Proclamation 8445 of October 30, 2009
National Adoption Month, 2009
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

All children deserve a safe, loving family to protect and care for them.
In America, thousands of young people are waiting for that opportunity.
During National Adoption Month, we honor those families that have
strengthened America through adoption, and we recommit to reducing the
number of children awaiting adoption into loving families.
America is a country rich in resources and filled with countless caring
men and women who hope to adopt. These individuals come from all walks
of life, united in their commitment to love a child who is in need of
the protective arms of a parent. We must do more to ensure that adoption
is a viable option for them. By continually opening up the doors to
adoption, and supporting full equality in adoption laws for all American
families, we allow more children to find the permanent homes they yearn
for and deserve.

This month, we also focus on children in foster care. These children are
not in the system by their own choosing, but are forced into it by
unfortunate or tragic circumstances. These young people have specific
needs and require unique support. Federal, State, and local governments,
communities, and individuals all have a role to play in ensuring that
foster children have the resources and encouragement they need to
realize their hopes and dreams.
The course of our future will depend on what we do to help the next
generation of Americans succeed. This month, we celebrate those families
brought together by adoption and renew our commitments to children in
the foster care system.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2009 as
National Adoption Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month
by reaching out to support and honor adoptive families, as well as to
participate actively in efforts to find permanent homes for waiting
children.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of
October, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
fourth.
BARACK OBAMA